Jamie Oliver's Pizza Fritta, 'Fried Pizza'

Ingredients

• 1 basic pizza dough, recipe follows
• Flour, for dusting
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 five-ounce ball of buffalo mozzarella
• Optional: 5 teaspoons dried oregano
• For the tomato sauce:
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• A bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked
• 1 14-ounce can of good-quality plum tomatoes
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 3/4 pound strong white bread flour
• 1 1/2 cups fine ground semolina flour or strong white bread flour
• 1 level tablespoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 ounce envelope active dried yeast
• 1 tablespoon golden caster sugar
• Just over 2 cups lukewarm water
• Procedure:

Directions

1. Start by preparing the basic pizza dough. As it rests, turn to the sauce: warm a saucepan, pour in a splash of oil, add the sliced garlic, and let it cook gently until it takes on a pale golden color. Add half the basil, the tomatoes, and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes, crushing the tomatoes as they cook until the sauce is smooth, then taste, adjust the seasoning, and set it aside.
2. Set your grill or broiler to its highest temperature. Cut the dough into 10 pieces, place them on a floured work surface, and press each one down. Roll each piece to about 1/4 inch thick, then let them sit for 10 minutes or so.
3. Put a frying pan over high heat, pour in about 3/4 inch of vegetable oil, and fry the pizzas one at a time for 30 seconds or so per side. Lift them out with tongs and transfer them to a baking tray.
4. When all the bases have been fried, spread each with a spoonful of tomato sauce. Tear mozzarella over the top, then add a leaf or two of basil or a little dried oregano. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, then grill until the cheese bubbles and the dough is lightly browned and cooked through.